Read all of this leaflet carefully before
you start taking this medicine because it
contains important information for you.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it
again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your
doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you
only. Do not pass it on to others. It may
harm them, even if their signs of illness are
the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your
doctor or pharmacist. This includes any
possible side effects not listed in this
leaflet. See section 4.

Grapefruit juice
Do not take more than one or two small
glasses of grapefruit juice per day because
large quantities of grapefruit juice can
change the effects of Atorvastatin.
Alcohol
Avoid drinking too much alcohol while taking
this medicine. See Section 2 “Take special
care with Atorvastatin” for details.

1. WHAT ATORVASTATIN IS
AND WHAT IT IS USED
FOR

Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think
you may be pregnant or are planning to
have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist
for advice before taking this medicine.
Do not take Atorvastatin if you are pregnant,
or if you are trying to become pregnant.
Do not take Atorvastatin if you are able to
become pregnant unless you use reliable
contraceptive measures.
Do not take Atorvastatin if you are
breast-feeding.
The safety of Atorvastatin during pregnancy
and breast-feeding has not yet been proven.

40 mm

2. WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW BEFORE YOU
TAKE ATORVASTATIN
Do not use Atorvastatin:
- if you are allergic to atorvastatin, or to any
similar medicines used to lower blood
lipids or any of the other ingredients of
this medicine ( listed in section 6).
- if you have or have ever had a disease
8 mm which affects the liver
- if you have had any unexplained abnormal
blood tests for liver function
- if you are a woman able to have children
and not using reliable contraception
- if you are pregnant or trying to become
pregnant
- if you are breast-feeding
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before
taking Atorvastatin.
The following are reasons why Atorvastatin
may not be suitable for you:
- if you have had a previous stroke with
bleeding into the brain, or have small
pockets of fluid in the brain from previous
strokes
- if you have kidney problems
- if you have an under-active thyroid gland
(hypothyroidism)
- if you have had repeated or unexplained
muscle aches or pains, a personal history
or family history of muscle problems
- if you have had previous muscular
problems during treatment with other
lipid-lowering medicines (e.g. other ‘-statin’
or ‘-fibrate’ medicines)
- if you regularly drink a large amount of
alcohol
- if you have a history of liver disease
- if you are older than 70 years.

300 mm

Check with your doctor or pharmacist
before taking Atorvastatin
- if you have severe respiratory failure.

40 mm

Atorvastatin with food, drink and alcohol
See Section 3 for instructions on how to
take Atorvastatin. Please note the following:

What is in this leaflet:
1. What Atorvastatin is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take
Atorvastatin
3. How to use Atorvastatin
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Atorvastatin
6. Contents of the pack and other
information

Atorvastatin belongs to a group of
medicines known as statins, which are lipid
(fat) regulating medicines.
Atorvastatin is used to lower lipids known as
cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood
when a low fat diet and life style changes on
their own have failed. If you are at an
increased risk of heart disease, Atorvastatin
can also be used to reduce such risk even if
your cholesterol levels are normal. You
should maintain a standard cholesterol
lowering diet during treatment.

While you are on this medicine your doctor
will monitor you closely if you have diabetes
or are at risk of developing diabetes. You
are likely to be at risk of developing
diabetes if you have high levels of sugars
and fats in your blood, are overweight and
have high blood pressure.
Also tell your doctor or pharmacist if you
have a muscle weakness that is constant.
Additional tests and medicines may be
needed to diagnose and treat this.
If any of these apply to you, your doctor will
need to carry out a blood test before and
possibly during your Atorvastatin treatment to
predict your risk of muscle related side effects.
The risk of muscle related side effects e.g
rhabdomyolysis is known to increase when
certain medicines are taken at the same time
(see Section 2 “Taking other medicines”).
Other medicines and Atorvastatin
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are
taking, have recently taken or might take
any other medicines.
There are some medicines that may change
the effect of Atorvastatin or their effect may
be changed by Atorvastatin. This type of
interaction could make one or both of the
medicines less effective. Alternatively it
could increase the risk or severity of
side-effects, including the important muscle
wasting condition known as rhabdomyolysis
described in Section 4:
- Medicines used to alter the way your
immune system works, e.g. ciclosporin
- Certain antibiotics or antifungal medicines,
8 mm e.g. erythromycin, clarithromycin,
telithromycin, ketoconazole, itraconazole,
voriconazole, fluconazole, posaconazole,
rifampin, fusidic acid
- Other medicines to regulate lipid levels,
e.g. gemfibrozil, other fibrates, colestipol

8 mm

Driving and using machines
Normally this medicine does not affect your
ability to drive or operate machines.
However, do not drive if this medicine
affects your ability to drive. Do not use any
tools or machines if your ability to use them
is affected by this medicine.
Atorvastatin contains lactose and
sucrose
If you have been told by your doctor that
you have an intolerance to some sugars,
contact your doctor before taking this
medicine.

3. HOW TO USE
ATORVASTATIN
Always take this medicine exactly as your
doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with
your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
Before starting treatment, your doctor will
place you on a low-cholesterol diet, which
you should maintain also during therapy
with Atorvastatin.
The usual starting dose of Atorvastatin is
10 mg once a day in adults and children aged
10 years or older. This may be increased if
necessary by your doctor until you are taking
the amount you need. Your doctor will adapt
the dose at intervals of 4 weeks or more.
The maximum dose of Atorvastatin is 80 mg
once daily for adults and 20 mg once daily
for children.
Atorvastatin tablets should be swallowed
whole with a drink of water, and can be
taken at any time of day, with or without
food. However, try to take your tablet at the
same time every day.
The score line is only there to help you break
the tablet if you have difficulty swallowing it
whole.

The duration of treatment with
Atorvastatin is determined by your
doctor.
Please ask your doctor if you think that the
effect of Atorvastatin is too strong or too
weak.
If you take more Atorvastatin than you
should
If you accidently take too many Atorvastatin
tablets (more than your usual daily dose),
contact your doctor or nearest hospital for
advice.
If you forget to take Atorvastatin
If you forget to take a dose, just take your
next scheduled dose at the correct time. Do
not take a double dose to make up for a
forgotten dose.
If you stop taking Atorvastatin
If you have any further questions on the use
of this medicine, ask your doctor or
pharmacist.

4. POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause
side effects, although not everybody gets
them.
If you experience any of the following
serious side effects, stop taking your
tablets and tell your doctor immediately
or go to the nearest hospital accident
and emergency department.
Rare: affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000:
- Serious allergic reaction which causes
swelling of the face, tongue and throat that
can cause great difficulty in breathing.
- Serious illness with severe peeling and
swelling of the skin, blistering of the skin,
mouth, eyes genitals and fever. Skin rash
with pink-red blotches especially on palms
of hands or soles of feet which may blister.
- Muscle weakness, tenderness or pain and
particularly, if at the same time, you feel

I/C01-01.Rev.1

Artwork No.

-

Colours Used

Customer

Accord

Pantone Black

Description

Atorvastatin

Market

UK

Language

English

Size

150 x 600 mm (PIL)

Min. Font Size

9

Version No.

11 (Page 2 of 2) IA-013

Date

15/07/16 (Atorvastatin (ACC-UK)IA-013_61-3-PIL)

Prepared By
Regulatory Affairs

Keyline

Checked By
Regulatory Affairs

Approved By
Quality Assurance

CONFORME
LABORATORIO:

Reverso:
150 mm

unwell or have a high temperature it may
be caused by an abnormal muscle
breakdown which can be life-threatening
and lead to kidney problems.
Very rare: affect less than 1 user in 10,000:
• If you experience problems with
unexpected or unusual bleeding or
bruising, this may be suggestive of a liver
complaint. You should consult your doctor
as soon as possible.
Other possible side effects with
Atorvastatin:
Common side effects (affects 1 to 10 users
in 100) include:
• inflammation of the nasal passages, pain
in the throat, nose bleed
• allergic reactions
• increases in blood sugar levels (if you
have diabetes continue careful monitoring
of your blood sugar levels), increase in
blood creatine kinase
• headache
• nausea, constipation, wind, indigestion,
diarrhoea
• joint pain, muscle pain and back pain
• blood test results that show your liver
function can become abnormal

Possible side effects reported with some
statins (medicines of the same type):
• Sexual difficulties
• Depression
• Breathing problems including persistent
cough and/or shortness of breath or fever
• Diabetes. This is more likely if you have
high levels of sugars and fats in your
blood, are overweight and have high blood
pressure. Your doctor will monitor you
while you are taking this medicine.
Side effects of unknown frequency:
• Muscle weakness that is constant.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your
doctor or pharmacist. This includes any
possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.
You can also report side effects directly via
the Yellow Card Scheme (website:
www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard).
By reporting side effects you can help
provide more information on the safety of
this medicine.

5. HOW TO STORE
ATORVASTATIN
300 mm

Keep this medicine out of the sight and
reach of children.
This medicinal product does not require any
special temperature storage conditions.
Store in the original blister packaging.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry
date which is stated on the carton or blister
foil after EXP. The expiry date refers to the
last day of that month.
Do not throw away any medicines via
wastewater or household waste. Ask your
pharmacist how to throw away medicines no
longer use. These measures will help to
protect the environment.